Container

ABSTRACT

A container for holding granular or powdered material. The container includes a base and a lid. The base defines an interior space and an opening to the interior space. The lid is removably attached to the base and adapted to cover the opening. Latches are attached to the outside surface of the lid on opposing sides of the lid. Inwardly extending lugs on the inside surface of the latch are correspondingly positioned to contact deflectors on the outside surface of the base during attachment of the lid to the base.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and any benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/072,572, filed Oct. 30, 2014, the content of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Many consumer products are packaged in granular or powdered form, suchas for example, infant formula, flour, coffee, and sugar. Stock keepingunits of granular or powdered form which are sold in volumes larger thanone-time use amounts require specific packaging. The packaging must besuitable for storage until first-time use by a consumer and mustsubsequently provide adequate storage for the consumer between uses.Adequately storing the product throughout the consumption period of thevolume of powder requires packaging which prohibits waste andcontamination, is strong and durable, and is convenient to the user.

Large volume consumer powder products have been conventionally offeredin a paper cylindrical package with a plastic peel-off lid. Examples ofpowder products offered for sale in a paper cylindrical package includecoffee, ice tea, and infant formula. Powder manufacturers have recentlylooked to new and innovative containers for many reasons, includingdurability, contamination, manufacturing waste, and consumer waste.

One example of consumer waste is the loss of powder during the openingof a container. A large volume plastic container having a removable lidmay require two-hands to open. If the lid or the base is deformed in theopening process, or the lid requires a relatively significant amount offorce to separate it from the base, the powder has a propensity tokick-up and an amount of powder will be lost. Further, the cost ofcertain high-volume powders makes any powder loss significant.

SUMMARY

The present application describes a container for use in packaginggranular or powdered material, such as for example, a container suitablefor use in holding powder infant formula.

In an exemplary embodiment, a container has a base and a lid. The basedefines an interior space and an opening to the interior space. The lidis removably attached to the base and adapted to cover the opening.Latches are attached to the outside surface of the lid on opposing sidesof the lid. Inwardly extending lugs on the inside surface of a latch arecorrespondingly positioned with deflectors on the outside surface of thebase.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description made with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features and advantages of the general inventive concepts will becomeapparent from the following detailed description made with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a top, perspective view of a container;

FIG. 2 is a bottom, perspective view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the designated circular area of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the container of FIG. 1, shown along theline 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the container of FIG. 1, shown along theline 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the designated circular area of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the designated circular area of FIG. 5,showing a lid in a closed position;

FIG. 7B is a view of the circular area of FIG. 7A, showing the lid in aninitial partially opened position;

FIG. 7C is a view of the circular area of FIG. 7A, showing the lid in anadvanced partially opened position;

FIG. 8 is a front view of the container of FIG. 1, the rear view beingessentially a mirror image thereof;

FIG. 9 is a left side view of the container of FIG. 1, the right sideview being essentially a mirror image thereof;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1, showing thelid in an open and detached position;

FIG. 13 is a perspective, assembly view of the container of FIG. 1,showing only a base and a seal;

FIG. 14 is a top perspective view of the lid of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of the lid of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the designated area of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the lid of FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the lid of FIG. 14, shown along the line18-18 of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is perspective, sectional view of the lid of FIG. 14, shownalong the line 19-19 of FIG. 17;

FIG. 20 is a top, perspective view of the base of the container of FIG.1;

FIG. 21 is a front view of the base of FIG. 20, the rear view beingessentially a mirror image thereof;

FIG. 22 is an enlarged view of the designated circular area of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a left side view of the base of FIG. 20, the right side viewbeing essentially a mirror image thereof;

FIG. 24 is an enlarged view of the designated circular area of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a bottom, perspective view of the base of FIG. 20;

FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of the designated circular area of FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a perspective, sectional view of the base of FIG. 20, shownalong the line 27-27 of FIG. 20; and

FIG. 28 is an enlarged, sectional view of a portion of the base of FIG.20, shown along the line 27-27 of FIG. 20 and with a second container ina stacked position below the first container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This Detailed Description merely describes exemplary embodiments inaccordance with the general inventive concepts and is not intends tolimit the scope of the invention or the claims in any way. Indeed, theinvention as described by the claims is broader than and unlimited bythe exemplary embodiments set forth herein, and the terms used in theclaims have their full ordinary meaning.

The general inventive concepts will now be described with occasionalreference to the exemplary embodiments of the invention. These generalinventive concepts may, however, be embodied in different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the generalinventive concepts to those skilled in the art.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art encompassing the general inventive concepts. The terminology setforth in this detailed description is for describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the generalinventive concepts. As used in this detailed description and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities ofingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions,percentages, and so forth as used in the specification and claims are tobe understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.”Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical properties setforth in the specification and claims are approximations that may varydepending on the suitable properties sought to be obtained in theembodiments of the present invention. Notwithstanding that the numericalranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the generalinventive concepts are approximations, the numerical values set forth inthe specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Anynumerical values, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarilyresulting from error found in their respective measurements.

The present application describes a container for use in packaging, suchas for example, a container suitable for use in holding powder, such asadult nutritional powder or infant formula. The container provides anadvantageous storage method for a granular or powdered product. Thecontainer includes a base or receptacle, which contains the powder, anda lid. In shipment, a seal may separate the powder from the lid. At thesite of use, the lid may be manually removed and separated from the baseby a user. After an initial use, the lid may be reattached to the basefor storage until the next use.

The lid offers certain advantageous features. The geometry of the liddome includes a high dome and side recesses along two opposing sides.The geometry prohibits deformation of the lid and allows a smooth andpassive removal of the lid to prohibit the natural propensity of thepowder to kick-up during manual removal and detachment of the lid. Thehigh dome of the lid provides a storage area for a scoop which is abovethe level of the seal.

One embodiment of the invention features a container having a base and alid. The base defines an interior space and an opening to the interiorspace. The lid is removably attached to the base and adapted to coverthe opening. At least two latches are attached to an outside surface ofthe lid, one of the at least two latches on one side of the lid andanother of the at least two latches on an opposing side of the lid. Eachlatch has at least one inwardly extending lug on an inside surface ofthe latch. The container has at least two deflectors, one of the atleast two deflectors on one side of the base and another of the at leasttwo deflectors on an opposing side of the base. Each deflector protrudesfrom an outside surface of the base. Each of the inwardly extending lugsis correspondingly positioned to contact one of the at least twodeflectors during attachment of the lid to the base.

Another embodiment of the invention features a container having a base,a lid, at least two latches, and at least two deflectors. The basedefines an interior space and an opening to the interior space. The lidis removably attached to the base and adapted to cover the opening. Theat least two latches are attached to an outside surface of the lid. Oneof the at least two latches is on one side of the lid and another of theat least two latches is on an opposing side of the lid. Each latch hasat least one inwardly extending lug on an inside surface of the latch.One of the at least two deflectors is on one side of the base andanother of the at least two deflectors is on an opposing side of thebase. Each deflector protrudes from an outside surface of the base. Thebase has a collar, and each of the inwardly extending lugs is positionedto nest underneath the collar with the lid in a closed position.

Another embodiment of the invention features a container having walls, alid, a removable seal, at least two latches, and at least twodeflectors. The walls define an interior space and an upper portion. Theupper portion defines a sealing flange having an internal edge whichdefines an opening to the interior space. The lid is removably attachedto the upper portion and adapted to cover the opening. The removableseal extends across the opening and attaches to the sealing flange.Further, the seal is positioned between the lid and the sealing flange.The at least two latches are attached to an outside surface of the lid.One of the at least two latches is on one side of the lid and another ofthe at least two latches is on an opposing side of the lid. Each latchhas at least one inwardly extending lug on an inside surface of thelatch. The at least two deflectors protrudes from an outside surface ofa wall. One of the at least two deflectors is on one wall of the baseand another of the at least two deflectors is on an opposing,non-contiguous wall of the base.

Referring now to the drawings, a container 10 for holding a granular orpowdered product is shown in FIGS. 1-13. The container is suitable forpackaging of product at a manufacturing facility to be sold in volumeslarger than one-time use amounts. The exemplary container discussedherein is suitable for use in packaging infant powder formula which issold in multiple-use amounts. However, it should be understood that theinvention can be practiced with any type of granular or powderedproduct, such as for example, flour, coffee, and sugar, and any packagedvolume of granular or powdered product.

The container may be constructed by various methods. The exemplarycontainer is stackable and may be manufactured by an injection moldingprocess. The container includes two primary parts, a base and a lid, andeach is injection molded in separate molds. The parts are formed by adirect food contact approved polymer, such as for example, polyethyleneor polypropylene. In one manufacturing technique, the bases and lids areshipped in separate stacks from the molder to the powder manufacturerand final filling facility. It will be understood by those skilled inthe art that the invention may be practiced by other manufacturingmethods and by using other production materials.

Now referring to FIG. 1, a top perspective view of a container is shown.The container 10 includes a base or receptacle 12 and a lid 16. Thereceptacle 12 and lid 16 are cooperatively arranged such that the lidmay be manually attached to and detached from the base by a user. A usermay manipulate the lid between a closed position and an open position toaccess an interior space within the receptacle. The lid may include agripping area having recesses, a glossy surface, and a favorablecoefficient of friction. In production assembly, the interior space ofthe receptacle is filled with a powder. After a seal is applied to thetop of the receptacle to close an opening to the receptacle, the lid issecured by advancing inwardly extending lugs of the inside surface lidbeyond reflectors on the outside surface of the receptacle. As discussedherein, the inside surface of the lid may include structure forremovably securing a scoop. A tamper-evident shrink band may be appliedas an additional safety step.

The base or receptacle 12 is shaped to define an interior space 26 forstoring powder. The base 12 has a bottom wall and four side walls togenerally form a cuboid with an open top. The opening 24 provides accessto the interior space 26 suitable for storing a powder product. During apackaging operation, the interior space 26 is filled with powder andthen sealed with a removable sealing layer. The exemplary base 12 has atleast two opposing and generally planar sides and a rectangular bottomwall, i.e., is generally in the shape of a rectangular hexahedron. FIGS.20-27 are views of the base 12 prior to assembly to other components ofthe container.

The exemplary base or receptacle 12 is formed in part by four verticalwalls and a bottom wall. Referring to FIGS. 1-3, 8, and 9, the base 12generally includes two first walls, or elongated front and rear walls,and two second walls, or shorter side walls. A perspective view of thebottom wall 28 is illustrated in FIG. 2. Generally, the front half ofthe base is essentially the same as the back half of the base, and theright half of the base is essentially the same as the left half of thebase. As discussed herein, absent features to secure a scoop, the fronthalf of the lid is essentially the same as the back half of the lid, andthe right half of the lid is essentially the same as the left half ofthe lid. As such, a user may pick up the lid in any orientation, latchesdown, and attach to the base in any orientation, opening up. In otherwords, the lid may be detached from the base, spun 180 degrees, andreattached. This feature provides the user with flexibility during use.

The base or receptacle 12 defines an interior space and an opening tothe interior space. As shown best in FIG. 7C, a sealing flange 410surrounds the opening. The interior space and the opening may be furtherdefined by walls of the base. In the exemplary base shown in FIGS. 1-3,8, and 9, the two first walls are a front wall 20 a and a rear wall 20b, and the two second walls are a right side wall 22 a and a left sidewall 22 b. The four vertical walls 20 a, 20 b, 22 a, 22 b generallydefine an opening 24 to an interior space 26 which is generally definedby the five walls 20 a, 20 b, 22 a, 22 b, 28. In regard to a horizontalmeasurement along the exterior surface of the container, the front wall20 a and rear wall 20 b are generally the same length, and the rightwall 22 a and the left wall 22 b generally the same length. As shown inthe Figures, each of the front wall 20 a and the rear wall 20 b is of agreater length than each of the right side wall 22 a and the left sidewall 22 b. As such, the walls of the exemplary base 12 generally formthe shape of a rectangular hexahedron. It should be understood that thebase illustrated in the Figures is for example only and that walls ofthe container may be of an alternative number, size, shape, andstructure in the practice of this invention.

As discussed herein, the lid 16 is removably attached to the base 12 andis adapted to cover the opening 24. For example, the container shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 includes a lid 16 which is attached to the base 12 andcovers an opening 24. The structure of the lid 16 also adds to theoverall stability and strength of the container 10. To emphasize certainstructural features, a lid 16 is shown in various views in FIGS. 14-19without any other components of the container 10. The lid generallyincludes a top wall and side walls. In the exemplary lid 10 shown inFIGS. 14-19, the two first walls are a front wall 40 a and a rear wall40 b, and the two second walls are a right side wall 42 a and a leftside wall 42 b. The four vertical walls 40 a, 40 b, 42 a, 42 b generallydefine an interior space 46 which is generally defined by the five walls40 a, 40 b, 42 a, 42 b, 48. In regard to a horizontal measurement alongthe exterior surface of the container, the front wall 40 a and the rearwall 40 b are generally the same length, and the right wall 42 a and theleft wall 42 b generally the same length. As shown in the Figures, eachof the front wall 40 a and the rear wall 40 b is of a greater lengththan each of the right side wall 42 a and the left side wall 42 b. Theside walls of the lid also have recesses. The front wall 40 a has arecess 41 a and the rear wall 40 b has a recess 41 b. The recesses 41 a,41 b cover a majority of each sidewall 40 a, 40 b, respectively. Asdiscussed herein, the shape of the lid is advantageous to reduce powderkick-up during manual removal of the lid. It should be understood thatthe lid illustrated in the Figures is for example only and that walls ofthe container may be of an alternative number, size, shape, andstructure in the practice of this invention.

As discussed herein, the container includes a base and a lid which arecooperatively arranged such that the lid may be manually attached to anddetached from the base by a user. The lid includes latches and the baseincludes deflectors which are correspondingly positioned to each other.In one embodiment, the latches are correspondingly positioned to contactone or more of the deflectors during attachment of the lid to the base.At least two latches are attached to an outside surface of the lid. Atleast one latch is located at one side of the lid and at least one latchis located at an opposing side of the lid. In the exemplary lid 16, thelid is generally rectangular shaped, and the latches are located onnon-contiguous sides. As such, a user may open the lid using eitherlatch at either end of the container.

Referring now to FIGS. 14-19, an exemplary lid 16 is illustrated. Thelid 15 is generally rectangular shaped and has two opposing walls 42 a,42 b. Each wall 42 a, 42 b includes a single latch 52 a, 52 b,respectively, and each latch is positioned to extend downward beyond thebottom edge 408 of a lid collar 406 which surrounds the bottom of thelid 16, as best seen in FIGS. 3 and 14. As discussed herein, eachdownwardly extending latch 52 a, 52 b offers the user a contact pointfor use in manually removing the lid 16. It should be understood thatthe illustrated latches are for example only and that latches may be ofan alternative number, size, shape, and structure in the practice ofthis invention.

Each latch 52 a, 52 b includes structure to attach the lid to the base.Referring now to FIG. 18, a sectional view of the lid of FIG. 14 isshown along the line 18-18 of FIG. 17. In other words, the sectionalview is along the length of the generally rectangular shaped lid 16. Asis shown in FIGS. 15-18, each latch 52 a, 52 b includes at least oneinwardly extending lug on an inside surface of the latch. The firstlatch 52 a has two lugs 210 a, 210 b which extend inward from the insidesurface 214 of the first latch 52 a. The lugs are best shown in FIGS.7A-7C, 15, 16, 18 and 19. For example, FIG. 14 is a top perspective viewof a lid 16, FIG. 15 is a bottom perspective view of the lid of FIG. 14,and FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the designated area of FIG. 15. InFIG. 16, the two lugs 210 a, 210 b are shown in a position protrudinginward from the inside surface 214 of the first latch 52 a. In theillustrated embodiment, the exemplary lid 16 has two ends which areidentical. As shown, the second latch 52 b has two lugs 212 a, 212 b ina position protruding inward from the inside surface 216 of the secondlatch 52 b in the same manner as lugs 210 a, 210 b.

As discussed herein, a consumer may open the lid by lifting a latch ateither side of the container. For clarity, further discussion will focuson one end of the container, but as discussed herein, the opposing endof this exemplary container is identical. Thus, a user may remove a lidfrom a base, and after use of a predetermined amount of powder, connectthe lid to the base in the same orientation as the lid was removed, orin a 180 degree orientation relative to the orientation in which the lidwas removed.

The present disclosure is also directed to deflectors on the base whichcontact the lugs during attachment and during removal of the lid. Anexemplary container has at least two deflectors. At least one of thedeflectors is on one side of the base and at least one deflector is onan opposing side of the base. FIGS. 20-22 illustrate an exemplary base12 having two deflectors at each of two opposing sides of a base 12.Each deflector is located on the outside of the base and, specifically,on the collar of a base. The exemplary deflectors are formed by a set ofthree ribs protruding from an outside surface of the base, but theinvention may be practiced by deflectors having a different structure.As discussed herein, the inwardly extending lugs of the lid arecorrespondingly positioned to contact one of the deflectors duringattachment of the lid to the base. The lid snaps onto the container inorder to provide protection and containment of the internal contents ofthe container. The snap-fit of the lugs onto the collar of the basecontainer delivers audible and tactile feedback to the user thatsignifies a secure closure of the lid to the container.

A user will remove the snap-on lid by disengaging the lugs of the lidlatch from underneath the base collar to allow the components toseparate. As the lid is removed, the latch lugs glide along thedeflection ribs. After removing the necessary contents from thecontainer, the user replaces the lid onto the container. As the lugs ofthe lid latch pass over the top flange of the base, the lugs align withthe deflection ribs, glide down the deflection ribs, glide downward pastthe base collar, and snap under the collar to secure the lid to thecontainer. Without the deflection ribs, the lugs of the lid latch havethe tendency to ‘catch’ the underside of the container top flangecausing an unfavorable removal. The inventive snap-fit of the lugs ontoand under the base collar advantageously delivers audible and tactilefeedback to the user that signifies a secure closure of the lid to thecontainer. If the deflection ribs are not incorporated into the basecollar, the latch lugs will catch the underside of the container topsealing flange during removal and negatively impact the opening, such asfor example, the powder may kick-up and cause product loss.

As discussed herein, the base of the container may be constructed byvarious methods. An exemplary base is manufactured by an injectionmolding process using a dedicated mold. The base is formed by a directfood contact approved polymer, such as for example, polyethylene orpolypropylene. A single mold may include the base, the collar, the topflange, and the deflecting ribs. In one manufacturing technique, thebase is shipped in separate stacks from the molder to the powdermanufacturer and final filling facility. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the invention may be practiced by othermanufacturing methods and by using other production materials.

Referring now to the exemplary base 12, the deflector of the base isbest shown in FIGS. 20-27. A top perspective view and a front view ofthe exemplary base 12 are shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21, respectively.The base 12 includes four deflectors, two at each opposing side on thebase 12. On one wall 22 a of the base, two deflectors 300, 302 extendoutward from the collar of the base and from an opposing wall 22 b (seeFIG. 25), two deflectors 304, 306 extend outward from the collar. Eachdeflector includes a plurality of spaced apart deflection ribs. As bestseen in the enlarged views in FIGS. 24 and 26, the set of deflectionribs includes three ribs which are vertically positioned. It should beunderstood that the deflectors 300, 302, 304, 306 are for example only,and that deflectors of other shape, size, and quantity may be used inthe practice of this invention.

Still referring to the deflectors, FIG. 24 is an enlarged view of thedesignated circular area of FIG. 23. The deflector 300 is illustratedhaving three ribs 300 a, 300 b, 300 c. The ribs 300 a, 300 b, 300 c areequally spaced and vertically orientated. All four deflectors 300, 302,304, 306 have the same geometry. For example, each deflection rib has anoutward facing surface which is sloped downward. FIGS. 21 and 22illustrate a front view and an enlarged view of deflector 304. As shown,the outward facing surface 314 of each rib of the deflector 304 slopesdownward. Thus, each rib defines an lug engagement angle relative to thebase. The ribs of the exemplary base form an angle α₁. In oneembodiment, the lug engagement angle may be more than 45 degrees andless 90 degrees, such as for example 60 degrees, relative to the base,and, specifically, relative to the horizontal surface of the base bottomwall. A perspective view of one of the deflectors is shown in FIG. 26.An enlarged view of deflector 304 is shown having three ribs 304 a, 304b, 304 c. The ribs are illustrated in a equally spaced position.

As discussed, the Figures illustrate the deflection ribs from differentperspectives. In the exemplary rectangular-shaped base, each base has atotal of four deflectors, two deflectors on each side of twonon-contiguous sides. The deflection ribs are visibly extending down tothe outside edge of the base collar. For example, the deflector 304shown in FIG. 22 includes ribs having a downwardly extending surface 314which extends downward to the top of the base collar 402. By extendingthe ribs downward to the outside edge of the collar, the latch lugs mayslide between the deflection ribs and the base collar 402 in eitherdirection in an essentially uninterrupted path of motion.

The interaction between the lugs of the latches and the deflectors ofthe base will now be discussed. Enlarged and sectional views on theinteraction of the base and the lid are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7A-7C. Therectangular-shaped exemplary container 10 has four sides, two-sides witha latch on the lid, and two elongated sides without a latch. FIGS. 1, 4,and 5 illustrate this feature. Referring now to FIG. 6, an enlarged viewof the designated circular area of FIG. 4 is shown. An elongated sidewall 20 a of the container 10 is shown. The lid 16 includes a collar406. The collar 406 extends downward to an edge 408 positioned justabove the collar 402 of the base 12. The opposing elongated side isessentially the same in construction.

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate one of the two sides of the base having a latchon the lid, with the latch shown in a variety of positions relative tothe base. Referring to FIG. 7A, an enlarged view of the designatedcircular area of FIG. 5 is shown. The lid 12 is shown in a closedposition. As shown, the lug 210 a extends inward from the inside wall214 of the latch 52 a and is positioned to nest underneath the collar402 of the base 12 with the lid in a closed position. A top horizontalsurface 412 of the lug rests beneath the base collar when the lid is inthe closed position. In the exemplary lug 210 a, the lug extends inwardto touch the side wall 22 a of the base 12.

The latch and the deflectors are correspondingly arranged for passiveopening of the lid by a user. To do so, a user must secure the base,typically with one hand and then engage the bottom tip of one of thelatches with the other hand. Several illustrations of the movement ofthe lid is shown in FIG. 7B. The lid 16 is shown in an initial,partially opened position in FIG. 7B. By rotating the bottom edge 204 ofthe latch 52 a in a direction R₁ away from the base 12, the lug 210 willmove out from under the base collar, and up the vertical side surface403 of the base collar 402 in a direction toward the flange 410 of thebase. When the lid is being closed, the lug 210 a will assume the sameor similar position against the vertical side surface 403 of the basecollar 402 when moving in a downward position.

Discussing again opening the lid, the user must continue to advance thelid with contact on the bottom edge of the latch. FIG. 7C shows the lid12 in an advanced partially opened position after the latch has advancedin a direction A₁ toward the flange 410 of the base. In this position,the lug is now in contact with the angled surface 314 of each of thethree ribs of the deflector. When the lid is being closed, the lug 210 awill assume the same or similar position against the angled surface 314of the ribs when moving in a downward position. However, as the usercontinues to lift the latch 52 a in the direction A₁, the latch willclear the flange 410 of the base, and the lid can be completelyseparated from the base without any powder kick-up.

When the lid is reattached, the movement of the latches and the lugs isessentially repeated in the opposite direction by at least one side ofthe lid. In other words, one side of the lid may be engaged to thecollar as the other side is attached. As discussed herein, movement ofthe lugs in a downward direction beyond the collar of the base at oneside of the base produces an audible engagement. In view of the samepattern for attachment and removal, each of the inwardly extending lugsat one side of the base is movable in two directions, i.e., both upwardand downward, along the outside surface of the collar with the lugs atthe opposing side of the base engaged to the collar. Further, each ofthe inwardly extending lugs at one side of the base is movable in twodirections, i.e., both upward and downward, along the outside surface ofone of the at least two deflectors with the lugs at the opposing side ofthe base engaged to the collar.

The container may include a seal which is removable by the consumer. Theseal is used to protect the contents of the container after packaging,during shipment, and during storage prior to sale. The sealing layer mayhelp to preserve freshness or indicate tampering. Any suitable sealmaterial may be selected, such as for example, a material suitable toprotect the contents from moisture, oxygen and light. The seal may beconstructed from a substantially moisture-impervious, oxygen-imperviousmaterial, such as for example, aluminum foil, or a foil made of someother metallic material, or a combination of a layer of materials thatcan include a metallic, a polymeric, and other material layers.

Referring now to FIG. 12, a perspective view of the container 10 isshown with the lid in an open and detached position. In this stage ofpackaging, the base contains a powdered product and a sealing layer hasbeen attached to the top surface of the base. The removable seal extendsacross the opening of the base and is attached to the sealing flange.FIG. 13 shows only the seal 14 and the base 12 with the seal in aremoved position.

The seal may be adhered to the base by a pressing operation. In theexemplary seal shown, an impression pattern has been left upon a topsurface of the seal. In the practice of this invention, alternativeimpression patterns may be left upon a top surface of the seal or noimpression pattern may be left upon a top surface of the seal.

After the seal is removed, the exemplary container 10 does not include agasket or any other sealing mechanism beyond the base and the lid.However, structure of the lid acts as a dam to prohibit flow of thepowder outside of the container when the lid is closed. The lid includesa bead which follows a circumferential path near the outer edge of theunderside of the lid. The bead is best shown in FIGS. 6, 7C, and 16. Thebead may be contiguous with the sealing flange with the lid in theclosed position. For example, FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the lidalong the elongated side of the container 10 and with the lid in theclosed position. The lid includes a thin bead 500 which protrudes downfrom an inside surface of the lid near the collar 406 of the lid. Thebead thickens in the areas of the path which are near the latches. Forexample, FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of a single latch 52 a.The thin bead 500 can be seen on either side of a thicker bead portion502, that is to say, in a closed position the bead is wider horizontallyfrom the inside of the container to the outside. As shown in thesectional view in FIG. 7C, the thicker bead 502 offers a more secure andwider dam against the sealing flange 410 in areas near the latch whichare points of opening and closing and more susceptible to powderleaking.

The present disclosure also includes a scoop retention feature. In aconventional powder container, a measuring scoop may be placed withinthe base of a container along with the powder or granular contents. Inthis position, a user often is forced to dig with their fingers or autensil to locate and retrieve the scoop. This technique may soil theuser's hand with the powder and moreover, puts the powder at risk ofcontamination, either from the user's hands or the utensil used tolocate and retrieve the measuring scoop. A leading consumer complaint inhigh-volume powder packages is the scoop being disposed within thepowder when the package is initially opened by the consumer.

The disclosure includes structure on the underside of the lid to retainand store a scoop. The scoop is disposed in a position above the levelof the powder and above the level of the membrane seal of the package.The overcap lid is domed to create enough volume in order to holdmultiple sizes of measuring scoops. The scoop retention structure may bea retention clip to hold a scoop of more than one size and to holdscoops having a measuring bowl of more than one size. The scoopretention clip may be disposed in the dome of an overcap lid.

As discussed herein, the domed lid with the scoop retention structuremay be manufactured in, but not limited to, a direct food contactapproved polymer such as polyethylene or polypropylene. Themanufacturing process for the domed lid with scoop retention structurewill likely use, but is not limited to, an injection molding process.The packaging components will be manufactured at the packaging supplierand sent to the filling facility. A flexible membrane is sealed to thetop flange of the base. The measuring scoop may be placed on top of thesealed flexible membrane or may be engaged within the scoop retentionfeature of the overcap lid. The snap-on overcap lid is applied to thecontainer.

The scoop retention structure is located in the dome of the overcap lidand above the contents of the container, thereby giving the user easyaccess to the scoop. The structure allows the user to grip and removethe measuring scoop from the lid without soiling the user's hands orcontaminating the powder. The present invention includes themanufacturing technique of sealing the base with a membrane seal beforethe scoop is secured into the retention structure in the lid dome, andat a height above the level of the membrane seal and above the level ofthe powder.

The scoop retention structure may hold a scoop of more than one size andmay hold scoops having a measuring bowl of more than one size. Thestructure is arranged such that the bowl of the scoop is secured, ratherthan the handle of the scoop. In one embodiment, a tongue is insertedinto the measuring bowl to secure the scoop. The tongue is biased inwardtoward the roof of the dome to secure the measuring bowl.

Referring now to FIGS. 15, 17 and 19, the scoop retention structure is aclip 98 and is positioned on the dome ceiling. With the lid 16 attachedto the base 12, the scoop clip 98 is at a location in the lid which isabove the flexible sealing membrane. A perspective, sectional view ofthe lid is shown in FIG. 19. The lid 16 offers storage for a scoop 110when packaged and not in use by the consumer. A scoop is shown in FIGS.4, 5, 12, and 28, for example, but for clarity the scoop is not includedin other figures. The clip 98 is positioned to secure the measuring bowlof the scoop only, allowing for a scoop having a bowl 112 of varyingshape, size and volume.

The scoop clip 98 includes a foundation 100 and a tongue 102. The tongue102 extends to a tongue distal end 104, which is inserted into the openside of a measuring bowl of a scoop, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 12, andin a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of themeasuring bowl. In other words, the measuring bowl does not “snap in” toa secure position, but rather the distal end of the tongue is slid intothe measuring bowl.

Another view of the scoop clip 98 is shown in FIG. 28, which is anenlarged, sectional view of a portion of the base 12 of FIG. 20, shownalong the line 27-27 of FIG. 20. An upper container 10 is illustrated ina stacked position above and engaged with a lower container 10′. In thisview, the positioning of the scoop 110 is seen between the membrane seal14′ and the ceiling of the lid 16′ of the lower container 10′. The scoop110 has a measuring bowl 112 and a handle 114. The tongue 102 of theclip 98 is shown extending into an opening 116 in the measuring bowl112. As shown, the diameter D₁ of the measuring bowl 112 is less thanthe height H₁ from the membrane seal 14 and the ceiling of the lid 16′of the lower container 10′. The dome of the lid 16′ is structured toaccommodate scoops having a measuring bowl of a variety of diameters,including scoops having a measuring bowl with a diameter D₁ equal to andless than the height H₁ from the membrane seal 14′ and the ceiling ofthe lid 16′ of the lower container 10′. Further, the diameter D₁ of themeasuring bowl 110 must be equal to or greater than the width W₁ of thetongue 102. The illustrated clip 98 is for example only, and theinvention may be practiced with clips of other location, size, shape andquantity.

The present disclosure is also directed to a stackable package. Thestackable package is suitable for storing consumer products, such aspowder. The inventive disclosure includes an overdome lid which maycreate sufficient volume in order to hold a measuring scoop or spoon.The overcap lid snaps onto the base of the container to form thestackable package. The top outer surface of the overcap lid includes arecessed panel which is correspondingly structured for engagement to thebottom surface of a base of another container in a stacked and stablerelationship. The top container and the bottom container are notinterlocked in the stacked relationship, in other words, all movement isnot prevented, but the stacked relationship limits movement andincreases stability.

In one embodiment, the bottom surface of the base includes protrusionswhich correspondingly mate with the four corners of a recessed panel ofthe top surface of a lid of another container. The correspondinggeometry of the top surface of the overcap lid and the bottom surface ofthe base enhance “package to package” stacking, that is to say, stackedcontainers are more likely to maintain a stacked relationship whensubject to vibration, shaking, twisting, or other destructive forces tothe stack.

Improving stackability between containers has several advantages. Thestacked inventive packages are easier to display, and are easier tomerchandise with retailers, because, among other reasons, the improvedstackability permits a broader range of stacking and displays. Thestacked inventive packages also have improved home storage efficiency ona shelf, on a counter, or in the pantry. With improved stackability, thecontainers offer a reduction in damage and spills because of less fallsfrom a stackable position. Further, by stacking a plurality of units tomaximize containers per cubic feet, and by increasing the number ofcontainers per stack height, the number of containers per shippingpallet is increased.

In one embodiment, the protrusions on the bottom of the base are convexand shaped like a hemisphere. The shape of the protrusion eliminates thepoint of contact between the lid on the lower container and the base onthe upper container. The containers are not locked to a container aboveor below and are allowed limited sliding relative to an engagedcontainer. Further, the stacked condition eliminates scuffing of thecontainers during the stacked condition.

As discussed herein, protrusions from the bottom of the base arecorrespondingly shaped to mate in a stacked relationship with a recessin the top surface of a lid of another container. In the illustratedembodiment, FIG. 2 shows hemisphere-shaped protrusions 62 a, 62 b, 62 c,62 d located on the bottom surface of the base 12. In a stackedrelationship between the two containers, one of each protrusions 62 a,62 b, 62 c, 62 d is disposed within one of the corners 60 a, 60 b, 60 c,60 d of a rectangle-shaped recess 60 of the top wall 48 of thebelow-positioned lid 16.

The base and the lid engaged beyond the convex protrusions. The recess64 on the bottom wall 28 is generally rectangular-shaped and issurrounded by and defined by a ridge 70. The recess 60 on the top wall48 of the lid 16 is also generally rectangular-shaped and is surroundedby and defined by a ridge 68. The top wall 48 of the lid iscooperatively shaped to insert into a rectangle-shaped recess 64 on thebottom wall 28 of the base 12, as seen in FIGS. 10 and 28. In a stackedrelationship between a bottom container and a top container, the ridge68 on the lid of the bottom container inserts with the inner diameter ofthe ridge 70 of the base 12 of the top container. As discussed herein,the sphere-shaped protrusions of the top container engage the recesscorners of the lid of the bottom container to engage the top and bottomcontainers and generally promote stackability. It should be apparent toone skilled in the art that the number, shape, and size of theprotrusions and the shape and size of the recess on the bottom wall ofthe base may vary in the practice of this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 28, portions of two containers are shown in astacked position. FIG. 28 is an enlarged, sectional view of a portion ofthe base of FIG. 20, shown along the line 27-27 of FIG. 20 and with asecond container in a stacked position above the first container.Specifically, the base 12 of the first container 10 is shown in astacked position on top of a lid 16′ of a second container 10′. Asdiscussed herein, the shape of the protrusions 62 c, 62 d decreases thepoint of contact between the lid 16′ on the lower container 10′ and thebase 12 on the upper container 10. For example, the lid 16′ on the lowercontainer 10′ and the base 12 on the upper container 10 do not contacteach other for a length L₁ between the two protrusions 62 c, 62 d, asshown in FIG. 28. Neither containers 10, 10′ is locked to a containerabove or below, and each container is allowed to slide generally in ahorizontal direction relative to an engaged container. The stackedcondition eliminates scuffing of the containers 10, 10′ during thestacked condition.

The present disclosure is directed to a base and lid which engage witheach other to form a container. The container has certain inventivefeatures which are advantageous to the manufacturing process prior tothe filling of the powder in the base. The present disclosure relates topowder package container internal de-nesting ribs that allow the basesto nest inside one another when stored and empty, but also easilyseparate from one another when pulled apart. The base is designed with aslight draft angle on the vertical side walls which aid ejection fromthe injection molding tool. This draft angle also allows the containersto nest within one another when empty. If no denesting aid is utilized,the containers may completely nest until the base collars come incontact. When the bases are completely nested, a filler may experiencedifficulty in separating the containers because the side walls of eachcontainer are so closely aligned. As such, air has a difficult timeescaping from the stack and a vacuum effect is created, which makes itdifficult to separate the containers. However, when the verticaldenesting ribs are positioned on the inside side walls near the bottomof the base to act as mechanical stops, the bases cannot nestcompletely. Without completely nesting, the bases have more spacebetween the vertical side walls which allows air to evacuate and thebases to separate more easily.

In the performance nutrition powder protein and supplement market,packages typically include a round base container with a round threadedscrew top closure. The round base containers do not nest inside oneanother when empty causing the container manufacture to ship thecontainers and lots of air to the filling facility. The presentinvention allows containers to be nested inside one another, improvinginbound distribution and warehousing efficiencies, thus reducing costsby minimizing warehouse storage space of empty containers and reducingthe number of truckloads required to ship empty containers to thefilling facility. The present invention includes the use of internaldenesting ribs that allow for easy separation at the filling facilitywhen they are ready to fill the containers with product.

The base container and the internal denesting ribs will likely bemanufactured in, but not limited to, a direct food contact approvedpolymer such as polyethylene or polypropylene. The manufacturing processfor the container with denesting ribs will likely use, but is notlimited to, an injection molding process. The containers will beinjection molded, collected, and then nested together in predeterminedstack quantities. The stacked and nested containers will be packed insecondary packaging and/or palletized for shipment to the fillingfacility. At the filling facility, the stacks of nested containers willbe manually or automatically denested and placed on a conveyortravelling to the filling station.

FIG. 27 shows the internal denesting ribs in one of the inside cornersof the base 12. The other three inside corners of the base (not shown)also include a pair of similarly shaped and spaced denesting ribs. Asshown, the corner 80 b includes a pair of vertical ribs 82 b ₁ and 82 b₂. The ribs are vertically orientated, parallel and elongated. Theexemplary base 12 includes two ribs per corner and has a total of 8 ribsper container. FIG. 13 shows the top portion of two different ribs 82 a₁ and 82 a ₂ from a different corner 80 a. The top, inside containerdoes not completely nest to the bottom base collar because the denestingribs act as mechanical stops. As described, these stops hold the nested,inside container at a slightly higher position relative to a smoothwall, providing gaps between the side walls of the two containers toallow air to evacuate and ease the separation process. It should beunderstood by those with skill in the art that the denesting ribs on thebase may be of a different number, shape, and size in the practice ofthis invention.

The lid includes another feature of the present invention which isadvantageous to the manufacturing process prior to the filling of thepowder in the base. The present disclosure relates to powder package lidwhich includes internal denesting structure that allow the lids to nestinside one another when stored and empty, but also easily separate fromone another when pulled apart.

In the illustrated embodiment, the lids include wings located in eachcorner of the underside of the lid. The wings act as denesting structurewhen the lids are stacked inside each other. In order to maximizeshipping efficiencies from the production molder to the fillingfacility, the lids may be nested inside each other during transit.Stacking allows the top lip to rest on the denesting ribs of the bottomlid, thus protecting the lid from dimensional deformation and allowingeasy separation.

Referring now to FIGS. 15, 17, 19, and 28, the underside of the lid 16includes four protruding wings 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, 70 d. The wings eachprotrude generally straight out from the underside of the center wall 48of the lid and are generally curved from one edge to the other edge tomatch the generally flat area of the center wall 48. The top surface ofeach wing is also curved in a convex shape. It should be understood bythose with skill in the art that the wings on the lid may be of adifferent number, location, shape, and size in the practice of thisinvention.

While various inventive aspects, concepts, and features of the generalinventive concepts are described and illustrated herein in the contextof various exemplary embodiments, these various aspects, concepts, andfeatures may be used in many alternative embodiments, eitherindividually or in various combinations and sub-combinations thereof.Unless expressly excluded herein all such combinations andsub-combinations are intended to be within the scope of the generalinventive concepts. Still further, while various alternative embodimentsas to the various aspects, concepts, and features of the inventions(such as alternative materials, structures, configurations, methods,circuits, devices and components, alternatives as to form, fit andfunction, and so on) may be described herein, such descriptions are notintends to be a complete or exhaustive list of available alternativeembodiments, whether presently known or later developed. Those skilledin the art may readily adopt one or more of the inventive aspects,concepts or features into additional embodiments and uses within thescope of the general inventive concepts even if such embodiments are notexpressly disclosed herein. Additionally, even though some features,concepts or aspects of the inventions may be described herein as being apreferred arrangement or method, such description is not intended tosuggest that such feature is required or necessary unless expressly sostated. Still further, exemplary or representative values and ranges maybe included to assist in understanding the present disclosure; however,such values and ranges are not to be construed in a limiting sense andare intended to be critical values or ranges only if so expresslystated. Moreover, while various aspects, features and concepts may beexpressly identified herein as being inventive or forming part of aninvention, such identification is not intended to be exclusive, butrather there may be inventive aspects, concepts and features that arefully described herein without being expressly identified as such or aspart of a specific invention. Descriptions of exemplary methods orprocesses are not limited to inclusion of all steps as being required inall cases, nor is the order that the steps are presented to be construedas required or necessary unless expressly so stated.

1. A container comprising: a base defining an interior space and anopening to the interior space; a lid removably attached to the base andadapted to cover the opening; at least two latches attached to anoutside surface of the lid, one of the at least two latches on one sideof the lid and another of the at least two latches on an opposing sideof the lid and each latch having at least one inwardly extending lug onan inside surface of the latch; and at least two deflectors, one of theat least two deflectors on one side of the base and another of the atleast two deflectors on an opposing side of the base and each deflectorprotruding from an outside surface of the base; wherein at least each ofthe inwardly extending lugs is correspondingly positioned to contact oneof the at least two deflectors during attachment of the lid to the base.2. The container of claim 1, the base having a collar.
 3. The containerof claim 2, wherein movement of each of the inwardly extending lugs in adownward direction beyond the collar at one side of the base produces anaudible engagement, with the at least one inwardly extending lug engagedto the base at an opposing side.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The container of claim2, wherein each of the inwardly extending lugs defines a top horizontalsurface, and the top horizontal surface of each of the inwardlyextending lugs is positioned below the collar with the lid in a closedposition.
 6. The container of claim 2, wherein each of the inwardlyextending lugs at one side of the base is movable in two directionsalong the outside surface of the collar with the lugs at the opposingside of the base engaged to the collar.
 7. The container of claim 2,wherein each of the inwardly extending lugs at one side of the base ismovable in two directions along the outside surface of one of the atleast two deflectors with the lugs at the opposing side of the baseengaged to the collar.
 8. The container of claim 1, wherein each of theat least two deflectors comprises a plurality of spaced apart deflectionribs.
 9. The container of claim 8, wherein each of the deflection ribsis vertically positioned and defines a lug engagement angle relative tothe base.
 10. (canceled)
 11. The container of claim 8, wherein anoutward facing surface of each of the deflection ribs is slopeddownward.
 12. (canceled)
 13. The container of claim 2, furthercomprising a sealing flange defined by the base and a removable sealextending across the opening and attaching to the sealing flange. 14.The container of claim 13, the lid having a bead, wherein the bead iscontiguous with the sealing flange with the lid in the closed position.15. A container comprising: a base defining an interior space and anopening to the interior space; a lid removably attached to the base andadapted to cover the opening; at least two latches attached to anoutside surface of the lid, one of the at least two latches on one sideof the lid and another of the at least two latches on an opposing sideof the lid and each latch having at least one inwardly extending lug onan inside surface of the latch; and at least two deflectors, one of theat least two deflectors on one side of the base and another of the atleast two deflectors on an opposing side of the base and each deflectorprotruding from an outside surface of the base; wherein the base has acollar and each of the inwardly extending lugs is positioned to nestunderneath the collar with the lid in a closed position; and wherein theat least two deflectors are positioned between the opening and thecollar.
 16. The container of claim 15, wherein each of the at least twodeflectors comprises a plurality of spaced apart and verticallypositioned deflection ribs.
 17. The container of claim 16, wherein anoutward facing surface of each of the deflection ribs is sloped downwardto define a lug engagement angle relative to the base. 18-19. (canceled)20. A container comprising: walls defining an interior space and anupper portion, the upper portion defining a sealing flange having aninternal edge which defines an opening to the interior space; a lidremovably attached to the upper portion and adapted to cover theopening; a removable seal extending across the opening and attaching tothe sealing flange, wherein the seal is positioned between the lid andthe sealing flange; at least two latches attached to an outside surfaceof the lid, one of the at least two latches on one side of the lid andanother of the at least two latches on an opposing side of the lid andeach latch having at least one inwardly extending lug on an insidesurface of the latch; and at least two deflectors protruding from anoutside surface of a wall, one of the at least two deflectors on onewall and another of the at least two deflectors on a non-contiguouswall.
 21. The container of claim 20, the upper portion having a collar,wherein each of the inwardly extending lugs is positioned to nestunderneath the collar with the lid in a closed position.
 22. Thecontainer of claim 21, wherein movement of each of the inwardlyextending lugs in a downward direction beyond the collar at one side ofthe base produces an audible engagement, with the at least one inwardlyextending lug engaged to the base at an opposing side. 23-25. (canceled)26. The container of claim 20, wherein each of the at least twodeflectors comprises a plurality of spaced apart and verticallypositioned deflection ribs.
 27. The container of claim 26, wherein anoutward facing surface of each of the deflection ribs is sloped downwardto define an lug engagement angle relative to the base.
 28. Thecontainer of claim 21, wherein the at least two deflectors arepositioned between the opening and the collar